Classic Girl
Aug 12th
American Apparel uses some nasty ads! Though not nasty in the same way as some Peta ads. This is the original ad. I changed just one word in order to draw attention to what’s already there.
Billo instructs men on honor and responsibility
Aug 11th
I found this on Huff-Po, and wrote the following response. Because it was Huff-Po I reined in my impulses!
Billo was married and a father at the time he lost his infamous sexual harassment suit to a Fox producer he had been pursuing. In this video segment he presumes to tell other husbands/ consorts/ fathers how a “real man” behaves. Sorry, Billo. You are totally unqualified to preach morality about marriage, fatherhood, or honoring vows and responsibilities.
The one I’m worried about is Margaret Hoover. Much of what she says is intelligent, compassionate, and rational. Most places that would be great. At Fox it has to be career-threatening.
Ms Hoover, you have to learn to play the “Fox Babe” game. Regardless of what the Pox Alpha Male says, bat your eyelashes, resist for a moment if honor demands … but then yield with maidenly lowering of eyes and batting of eyelashes, looking up finally with embarrassment, a flush of surrender suffusing your face.
Recommended book
Aug 11th
Douglas Perry, The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago (Viking, 2010).
Here’s how the pros describe it:From Publishers Weekly
This jaunty retrospective of two Jazz Age trials introduces us to the real-life originals of the killer ladies of the musical Chicago—and to the society that adored them. Journalist Perry (The Sixteenth Minute: Life in the Aftermath of Fame) revisits the 1924 cases of Belva Gaertner, a swanky divorcée, and Beulah Annan, a beautiful married woman, both accused of shooting their lovers to death. They were the most photogenic on Cook County jail’s Murderess’ Row of defendants in a spate of woman-on-man killings that inflamed the press and captivated a public grown bored with gangland murders. (Perry’s third heroine is skeptical female reporter Maurine Watkins, who bemoaned the inability of all-male Chicago juries to convict killers with pretty faces.) The author gives an entertaining, wised-up rundown of the cases and the surrounding media hoopla, which the defendants and their lawyers cannily manipulated. (Annan hired a fashion consultant for court appearances and falsely declared herself pregnant to win sympathy.) Beneath the sensationalism, Perry finds anxieties about changing sex roles as feisty flappers and aggressive career women barged into public consciousness; his savvy, flamboyant social history illuminates a dawning age of celebrity culture. Photos. (Aug. 9)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Doug—
Sorry for the delayed response. Life got complicated. Anyhoo, I finished the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not sure where I’d catalog it in my library: Historical novel? “New Journalism” (a la In Cold Blood)? Regardless, solidly researched and documented, with direct quotes to anchor in reality imagined reflection and dialogue.
And, above all, very well written. I’m tempted to say that in your narrative voice you’ve almost become a period crime-beat reporter. And, yes, occasionally naughty. For example, I loved your comment about the baked clay look of the equestrienne’s tookus and thighs. Reminded me of one of Boucher’s paintings of a Louis XV mistress: say this one:
(Diderot absolutely hated this painting, considering it pornographic. The model is thought to be Boucher’s own wife, and Diderot claimed Boucher was prostituting her.)Glad to have learned about you and your work, Doug. I’m expecting great things of you.
—wayne
Early viral animation, worth a revisit
Aug 9th
The voiceover is either Father Guido Narducci or a good imitation.
Support for Anne Feeney
Aug 8th
Singer-songwriter Anne Feeney has had to interrupt her touring plans temporarily in order to deal with a tumor in her lung. She’s a terrific lady, and an indefatigable supporter of organized labor; of workers, organized or not; and of progressive values and causes in general.
Anne’s friends and family have set her up on Caring Bridge . That’s good. Basically Caring Bridge is a positive organization. But the instructions are tricky. It’s good to contribute to Anne to help her with medical expenses. It’s OK to contribute to Caring Bridge to support their program. But make sure you know where your money is going.
Until I get clarification, I’m going to recommend that if you want to send Anne a message, find links or purchase her music, do it here:
If you want to contribute to Anne’s medical expenses, follow these instructions: “Send donations through PayPal or by clicking on the Donate button at her blogsite.” I plan to do so. Anne is not a wealthy rock star. She’s a hard-working singer-songwriter committed to working men and women, and to promoting positive values.
The following is a digital tribute I created for Anne, inspired by her cover of the song Dump the Bosses Off Your Backs. Listen to her music, and you’ll know what she’s about. Wonderful lady.
